- Excavating Culture

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of anthropology through a deep dive into ethnographic writing on different regions of the world. Selected countries (including the U.S.) are discussed with respect to how culture influences their political, geographic, and economic characteristics. Several concepts and themes are explored, among them race and identity construction, violence and resistance, colonialism and inequality, gender and sexuality, as well as global interconnectedness. This course will also emphasize contemporary events as they relate to the fundamental themes of the course. Ultimately, students will leave this class with a nuanced understanding of how power, justice, and identity inform socio-political structures both within the United States and throughout our world.